Swiss Round Table on Antibiotics

WHO WE ARE

The Swiss Round Table on Antibiotics is a multidisciplinary, non-profit association. It is committed to promote measures that support the development of antimicrobial technologies and ensure their availability to safeguard the future functioning of health care systems.

Our members come from the healthcare sector, science, politics, industry, and further areas of social and economic life.

Current valid bylaws of the association (in German): 230530 Statuten RTA

 

 

Our Mission

We promote public awareness of the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and the need to take countermeasures, support policy-making and facilitate multidisciplinary projects.

In doing so, we focus on two main areas:

  • Financial incentive models that facilitate the development and commercialisation of new antimicrobial technologies.

  • Measures to ensure the supply of new and existing antibiotics to patients in Switzerland and worldwide.

We are active in Switzerland and involved in international initiatives.

 

 

 

Board

Rudolf Blankart

President

Professor of Regulatory Affairs

KPM Center of Public Management at University of Bern and Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine (sitem-insel)

Bea Heim

Vice President

Former National Councillor

Stephen Leib

Treasurer

Prof. Dr. med.

Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern

Stefan Felder

Member of the Board

Professor (Health Economics)

Department of Business and Economics, University of Basel

Silvio Inderbitzin

Member of the Board

Dr. sc. nat. (Pharmacist), Executive MBA HSG

Board member/Chairman and Business Angel in Pharma/MedTech start-ups and SMEs

Mark Jones

Member of the Board

Head Development

Basilea Pharmaceutica AG

Stefan Mühlebach

Member of the Board

Prof.em, PhD, Dr.hc, FPH Hosp.Pharmacy, Head COVID-19 vaccines logistics at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health

University of Basel Division of Clinical Pharmacy & Epidemiology / Hospital Pharmacy

Markus Seeger

Member of the Board

Professor for Biochemical Microbiology

Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich

Andreas Widmer

Member of the Board

Prof.em. Dr., MS, FIDSA, FSHEA President and Founder Swiss National Center for Infection Control Core member patient safety WHO Geneva

Swiss National Center for Infection Control

Management

Barbara Polek

Managing Director

lic.rer.pol., MSc

Round Table on Antibiotics

Our history

08/2016

The idea was born

Upon invitation by Bea Heim and Stephen Leib, a first meeting took place on 23 August 2016 in the Federal Parliament. The aim was to develop and launch a broadly supported initiative to revive the development of antibiotics.

04/2017

Expansion of the Round Table on Antibiotics

The Round Table on Antibiotics expanded its composition with experts from academia, politics, and industry and met in April 2017 in Basel at the SwissTPH.

11/2017

Appeal to the Federal Council

In November 2017, the core team of the Round Table on Antibiotics publishes an appeal to the Federal Council to combat antibiotic resistance and develop new antibiotics by using Switzerland's capacity for innovation more effectively.

12/2017

Meeting with Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer

The appeal is taken up by the Federal Council. The first to signal interest is Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer, who invites representatives of the Round Table on Antibiotics to a discussion.

02-03/2018

Informing the Federal Council

Representatives of the Round Table on Antibiotics meet with Federal Councillor Parmelin, Federal Councillor Cassis and Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann. In addition, a meeting is held with representatives of the General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Home Affairs and representatives of the Federal Office of Public Health and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

06/2018

Economic Considerations to Strengthen Antibiotic Development

The Round Table on Antibiotics publishes a white paper on “Economic Considerations to Strengthen Antibiotic Development”, presenting solutions to effectively incentivising the development of new antibiotics.

09/2018

Master plan for promoting biomedical research and technology

Representatives of the Round Table on Antibiotics present their concerns to the Biomedical Research and Technology Master Plan Round Table convened by Federal Councillor Berset. In addition to the Federal Councillor, representatives of the Federal Office of Public Health, Swissmedic and the Institute of Intellectual Property are present, as well as representatives of healthcare providers, industry and science.

 

10/2018

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Representatives of the Round Table on Antibiotics present their concerns at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva.

06/2019

Official founding of the association

The Round Table on Antibiotics is constituted as a non-profit association in the building of the Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine in Bern. Jean-Claude Piffaretti takes on the role of first president of the association.

02/2020

Change of the presidency

Jean-Claude Piffaretti steps down as president of the Executive Board, and the General Assembly elects Rudolf Blankart as the new president. For a transitional period of one year, Jean-Claude Piffaretti continues to serve the Executive Board as secretary.

11/2020

Parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Round Table on Antibiotics publishes a Call for Action to alert the Swiss Parliament about the silent but equally dangerous pandemic of antimicrobial resistance.

03/2022

Parliamentary information event

On behalf of State Councillor Maya Graf, National Councillors Brigitte Crottaz and Patricia von Falkenstein and National Councillors Michel Matter and Benjamin Roduit, the Round Table on Antibiotics invites participants to an information event in collaboration with National Center of Competence in Research AntiResist (NCCR Antiresist), the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP), and the BEAM Alliance (Biotech companies from Europe innovating in Anti-Microbial resistance research).

09/2022

Managing Director

The Round Table on Antibiotics appoints Barbara Polek as Managing Director to implement the association’s newly developed vision and strategy. Her tasks include strengthening communication, implementing a project to pilot a pull incentive in Switzerland, and ensuring the funding of the association’s activities.

11/2022

Roadmap to Pull

The Round Table on Antibiotics publishes it's Roadmap to a Swiss Pull Incentive Scheme for Novel Antibiotics, a call for pioneering a Swiss pilot for a pull incentive scheme.

02/2023

Review and assessment of Pull models considered for application in Switzerland

The Round Table on Antibiotics publishes its assessment of three pull incentive systems, including the Subscription model (a revenue guarantee model), the Transferable Exclusivity Extension Voucher (TEEV) model, and a High Price model. The document serves the preparation of a workshop conducted in March 2023 with representatives of pharma and biotech, investors, and GARDP.